How to accept a JSON POST?

Question

First time here, it says to be specific... So here goes.

I'm doing a small project to connect Salesforce to my Raspberry Pi. The goal is to make a light (Think a beacon, siren-like light) flash when a high priority case comes in from a client in Salesforce. At the moment, clients usually send an email to a certain address, and this creates a case. It goes to the 'Unassigned Queue' and emails the team that this case is there waiting to be assigned.

Salesforce uses REST, so I need to be able to get the Pi to accept JSON so it can easily understand what Salesforce wants it to do.

Currently, I guess I have won half of the battle. I have a web server (Lighttpd) running on the Pi, which hosts an index page and a Python script. I am also using a Python wrapper, which allows me to easily run a command from a Telldus program I have installed. This program controls a USB RF Transmitter that I have connected, it is paired to a RF Socket, which is connected to the mains power supply with a light connected to it.

So the Python script is called power.py, and can be controlled with URL variables, so if I go to power.py?device=1&power=on&time=10&password=hunter2 that turns on device 1 for 10 seconds. I also created a POST form on the index page, which just POSTS to the python script, and runs it in the same way as using the URL variables. That all works great.

So all I need to do, is connect it to Salesforce. I would like to use REST and JSON, so that if I ever move away from Salesforce to another CRM program, it will easily be able to adapt and receive instructions from new places.

I have posted the Python script I am using here:https://github.com/7ewis/RemotePiControl/blob/master/power.py

The Pi isn't currently allowed out of the local network, so I will need to somehow develop a way to send JSON commands, and the recieve and convert them to work using the correct variables etc. I'm not a programmer, I've just exposure to languages from hacking things and exploring. Hence why I need some guidance with this.

I have never used REST or JSON before, so what would I need to do to achieve this?

Answer 1

Looks like adding Flask  http://flask.pocoo.org  to your Raspberry Pi Webserver would be a good choice.